Matheran - a Tourist Spot in Maharashtra, India

I was sitting with my photo album last weekend and one album took me to a hill station Matheran that is very unique and beautiful. Lusting greeneries, serene environments and unpolluted ambience, this is a fantastic tourist spot. Brought back some wonderful memories of a holiday in a "Pollution Free" place.

Matheran is an eco-sensitive hill station about 2516 feet above the sea level in Maharashtra, a state of India. This town is one of the few places in the world where vehicles are banned. Therefore this is indeed a 'Pollution Free Town". This is what makes the place unique. The only mode of transport within Matheran is horses and the hand pulled rickshaws.

The languages spoken here are Marathi, which is the state language. Hindi, the National language and English.

So sit back and enjoy nature, the unpolluted air, beautiful surroundings, healthy atmosphere and magnificent panoramic views with me.

The roads here are not tarred and made of red laterite earth. We had gone there with the intention of staying there for a weekend but liked the place so much that we ended up staying there for a whole week. I tried the horse ride just once and visited all the major places of interest on foot. We had only to make sure we did not carry any plastic bags and bottles in our hands because monkeys would come from nowhere and snatch the bags and bottles from our hands. So backpacks were the best option.

Some of the major places of interest there are:

ECHO POINT
As the name suggests, this is a place that lets you enjoy your own echos. It is a place where every tourist makes it a point to visit. This point gives you a beautiful view of the plains below.

HEART POINT
This is also called the Sunrise Point. This is the longest point in Matheran and is about 6 kms from the main market.

CHARLOTTE LAKE
This lake is the main source of water supply in Matheran. This point is located at a distance of 1 km from the main market and looks beautiful during the monsoons.

LOUISA POINT
This is located on a plateau. The famous "Lion's head" a rock resembling a lion's head is located close to it.

ALEXANDER POINT
This famous place is located towards the North of Matheran. This point gives a splendid view of Garbut Point, Chowk Valley and the Ulhas River.

KING GEORGE POINT
Water from the Charlotte Lake overflows here during the monsoon and forms beautiful waterfalls around this place. This is a very nice place to capture views of the waterfalls during the monsoons.

SUNSET/PORCUPINE POINT
As the name suggests, this is the place you have to be during sunset to enjoy the beauty of nature at dawn. This place is at a distance of about 4 kms from the main market.

MONKEY POINT
This place is famous for the mischevious monkeys that throng the place. One monkey jumped on my daughters back to grab the water bottle from her hand as she was drinking water. She never visited this spot again.

The other places one should visit are Malang Point, Honeymoon Hill, Lords Point, One Tree Hill, Olympia, Paymasters Park, Artists Park, Mount Barry

The nearest airport to Matheran is the Mumbai airport. Matheran is about 100 kms from Mumbai which handles both National and International flights.

From Mumbai if you travel by road you can go upto Dasturi Naka (this is the last point to which cars are allowed, where there is a huge car park) about 7 kms from Matheran. From there one can walk upto Matheran and coolies are always around to carry your luggage for you. They usually run very fast and reach your destination before you. The other options are a horse ride or the hand driven carts. We took a walk from Dasturi Naka because I wanted to enjoy the scenery around.

The other option would be to take a train from CST station to Neral. From Neral you get a mini train to the main market of Matheran. On the way the mini train stops at three stations, Juma Patti Station, Water Pipe Station and Amam Lodge Station. The train goes deep into the forests and one gets an excellent view of the jungle.

The torrential rains of 26.7.05 had washed away the mud and damaged about 70% of these tracks. It took about three years and a couple of crores of rupees to repair these tracks.

The last option would be take a share-a-taxi service from Neral Station to Dasturi Naka or a Mini bus service.

One should go there to enjoy the peace and calm. A place where you can hardly get the network on your mobile. Where the internet does not work on your laptop. So all the worries of the world are kept away from you. Thus making you forget totally the outside world. Just sit in the greenery for hours on end. And ofcourse you should not forget to carry your camera with you.